网络药理学与药物发现研究进展

Network Pharmacology and Drug Discovery

将生物学网络与药物作用网络整合,分析药物在网络中与节点或网络模块的关系,由寻找单一靶点转向综合网络分析,就形成了网络药理学。通过系统生物学的研究方法进行网络药理学分析,能够在分子水平上更好的理解细胞以及器官的行为,加速药物靶点的确认以及发现新的生物标志物。这使得我们有可能系统地预测和解释药物的作用,优化药物设计,发现影响药物作用有效性和安全性的因素,从而设计多靶点药物或药物组合。本文综述了网络药理学的新近研究进展,介绍在生物学网络的各个层面上网络药理学的研究和应用,展望网络药理未来的发展方向,对药物发现具有重要意义。

The pharmaceutical industry has historically relied on particular families of dtruggable＇proteins against which to develop compounds with desired actions. But proteins rarely function in isolation in and outside the cell; rather, proteins operate as part of highly interconnected cellular networks. Network pharmacology is an emerging area of pharmacology which utilizes network analysis of drug action. By con- sidering drug actions in the context of the cellular networks, network analysis promises to greatly increase our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the multiple actions of drugs. Network pharmacology can provide new approaches for drug discovery for complex diseases. This review introduced the recent pro- gress of network pharmacology and its importance to understand the mechanism of drug actions and drug discovery.